Paper, Nonwoven and Film News for June 9, 2026

AF&PA's 66th annual capacity survey said U.S. packaging paper production increased 1.7% in 2025, tissue production remained near 7.8 million tons, and containerboard mills still operated at 91.9% despite lower overall paper and paperboard output.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: This points to continued baseline demand for tissue and paper converting, where labor saving, uptime and low-waste roll handling still drive equipment payback.

Source: AF&PA 66th Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey

ANDRITZ said General Emballage will build a greenfield paper line in Naama, Algeria with the widest and highest-capacity paper machine in Africa. The line is designed for 350,000 tons per year, 7.5 meter web width and 1,200 m/min design speed for testliner and fluting.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New regional containerboard supply can reshape lead times and quality benchmarks, and larger machines usually raise expectations for high-capacity winding, slitting and roll logistics downstream.

Source: ANDRITZ on General Emballage's new paper machine project

Xuan Mai Paper started a second ANDRITZ deinking pulp line in Ho Chi Minh City, designed for 75 t/d and processing 100% mixed office waste. The line adds high-quality recycled pulp capacity for tissue and uses flotation, ultra-high dispersion and peroxide bleaching to stabilize brightness and fiber recovery.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More recycled tissue capacity is positive for supply, but it also means converters need machinery that can cope with wider roll-quality variation without losing cut quality or winding stability.

Source: ANDRITZ on Xuan Mai's second deinking pulp line

Valmet said Wuzhou Special Paper successfully started up a new high-capacity winder equipped with automatic set change, slitter positioning and the new Perforating Splicer for faster parent-roll changes. The delivery targets demanding speed and quality goals on the PM 19 line.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Faster reel changes and higher automation directly support throughput and labor efficiency, which is the same economic logic many converters are now applying to rewinders and slitters.

Source: Valmet on Wuzhou Special Paper's new winder start-up

Koro Viet Nam Tissue Paper ordered two tissue lines for Thanh Hoa Province, each designed for 104.2 t/d, 3,650 mm paper width and 1,650 m/min maximum operating speed. The lines target premium toilet, napkin, handkerchief and facial tissue production.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Fresh tissue-machine investment usually creates follow-on demand for rewinding, embossing, log saw, packaging and core handling equipment once paper output comes online.

Source: ANDRITZ on Koro Viet Nam's tissue line order

ANDRITZ will supply ATCO Hygienics in Tashkent with a new diaper line scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2026. The line will produce a broad range of premium PERLA baby diapers with a focus on efficiency, flexibility and user-friendly operation.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Diaper-line growth directly increases demand for stable upstream nonwoven, film and absorbent-material roll processing, especially where scrap control and roll consistency affect final yield.

Source: ANDRITZ on ATCO Hygienics' diaper line order

Kruger Nonwovens ordered a complete Wetlace hybrid line from ANDRITZ for the Wayagamack mill in Quebec. The project is positioned around plastic-free, chemical-free wipes materials and is scheduled to start production in 2028.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Pulp-rich wipe substrates usually tighten tolerances for slitting cleanliness, tension control and finished-roll stability, so equipment selection has to reflect more fragile web behavior.

Source: ANDRITZ on Kruger's Wetlace hybrid line

Dalian Ruiguang awarded ANDRITZ another Wetlace line for premium flushable wipes roll goods. The new line is scheduled for start-up at the end of 2026 and is expected to raise the company's total annual production capacity to 40,000 tons while meeting current flushability standards.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Flushable wipes remain a demanding niche where clean converting, stable tension and low-dust processing matter more because substrate acceptance depends on both performance and compliance.

Source: ANDRITZ on Dalian Ruiguang's new flushable wipes line

Aksan Kozmetik in Turkiye ordered a complete ANDRITZ spunlace line designed for 30-80 gsm wipes grades. The company said the investment supports in-house roll production to secure quality and respond faster to local and Middle East market demand.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: When converters internalize parent-roll supply, they usually do it to gain tighter quality control, shorter lead times and better cost management across the full web-processing chain.

Source: ANDRITZ on Aksan Kozmetik's spunlace investment

Sanitex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ordered two baby diaper lines and one sanitary napkin line from ANDRITZ. The scope includes absorbent-core forming, precise SAP dosing, advanced web tension control and quality inspection systems for more stable output.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Quality-focused hygiene lines raise the bar for substrate consistency, cut precision and repeatable roll build throughout the upstream supply chain.

Source: ANDRITZ on Sanitex's hygiene line order

Mondi introduced re/loop FlowWrap, a mono-PP wet wipes packaging material with 35% post-consumer recycled content. The company said internal tests and customer trials showed performance comparable to virgin alternatives and confirmed high-speed runnability on Ilapak equipment.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Wipe-packaging customers increasingly want recycled content without sacrificing line speed, so film stability and sealing consistency are becoming stricter procurement requirements.

Source: Mondi on re/loop FlowWrap for wet wipes

Amcor and DCM launched a recycle-ready mono-material PE film for fertilizer packs in Europe, replacing a previous mixed-material structure. The new packaging includes 35% PCR and uses MDO PE plus a functional sealant layer to maintain rigidity, seal security and puncture resistance.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher-PCR mono-PE structures can change stiffness, seal behavior and winding feel, so converters need stable process windows across material transitions.

Source: Amcor on mono-PE fertilizer packaging for DCM

Coveris and Nextek said the COtooCLEAN demonstration plant is fully operational in the UK and is now moving into industrial-scale trials. The supercritical CO2 process is designed to purify post-consumer PE and PP film waste into recycled resin suitable for food-grade applications.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: If food-grade recycled film becomes more available, more customers will qualify higher-PCR flexible structures that still demand disciplined slitting, inspection and roll control.

Source: Coveris on the COtooCLEAN food-grade film recycling plant

At Interzoo 2026, Coveris highlighted PFAS-free design across monomaterial pet food packaging as EU food-contact limits approach on August 12, 2026. One featured format, MonoFlexE Opti weight bag, reduces material consumption while staying fully recyclable.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Regulatory deadlines force rapid film requalification, creating more value in equipment that handles new structures with fewer changeover losses and less sealing risk.

Source: Coveris on PFAS-free monomaterial pet food packaging

Reifenhauser said Smurfit Westrock is producing seven-layer PE barrier film for bag-in-box packaging on a new blown film line using the EVO Ultra Die 7. The system is reported to deliver more than 1,000 kilograms per hour while maintaining tight barrier-layer tolerances.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher output only pays if layer consistency, winding behavior and downstream slit quality remain stable, so automation and process control become core capex criteria.

Source: Reifenhauser on Smurfit Westrock's seven-layer barrier film line